Hidden Threats
by Valaina Wynn
Summary: When a mysterious, unknown villain rises, bodies suddenly turn up all across the country. When members of the Team begin to go missing and some turn up dead, the remaining members must find the villain and bring the monster down...or risk being taken themselves.


It was nearly midnight when a body was discovered lying in an alley in Happy Harbor. The unfortunate woman who stumbled upon the mutilated corpse screamed loud enough to wake the dead, so it was no surprise when others heard and ran into the alley to help the woman, only to stop in their tracks at the sight of the horrible, mangled mess lying on the concrete; the still-wet blood caked in its hair glistened a sickly crimson in the moonlight.

"Oh, god…" one of the witnesses murmured, a horror-struck expression etched into his face. He took out his cell phone and shakily dialed 911. After a few rings, a dispatcher answered.

"_911, what is your emergency?_" A pleasant female voice echoed from the receiver, somewhat reanimating the other people crowded in the alley, including the traumatized woman. She started to cry.

"Uh, hey…um, there's a body-there's a body here. We found a body in an alley. It's pretty…banged up." The man sounded uncertain and frightened, and kept glancing at the body as though he expected it to suddenly disappear. As if it were just some sick magic trick that would soon resolve itself.

"_Sir, did you say that you found a body? A human body?_"

"Y-yeah."

_"Okay, sir, tell me where and I'll send the police your way."_

He gave her the address after pausing to check the street signs outside the alley, and the emergency dispatcher continued.

"_Now, you and whoever else is with you just stay where you are; the police are on their way."_

"Th-thank you." The man hung up and faced the others, who were trying to mollify the woman-she was still crying.

The group waited outside the alley until the police arrived, at least five squad cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Ad officers poured out of the cars and rushed toward the witnesses and crime scene, a figure appeared on the roof of one of the nearby buildings, unbeknownst to the gathering crowd below. He was dressed in all black, complete with a black cap and mask. The figure raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke softly into a communicator.

"This is Handel, reporting about the dump in Happy Harbor. It was a success. Mission accomplished."

A tinny male voice came through the receiver.

"_Good. One of the 'heroes' should arrive soon, most likely with a sidekick or too. They're getting bolder with letting their young run loose than they were at the previous dumps. Make sure to tag the little one with a tracker, but be careful to remain unseen."_

"Yes, sir. I won't fail. Handel out."

He lowered his wrist and continued to stare vigilantly at the crowd of police officers and civilians. Within minutes, one of the heroes came into view. It was one of the Martians, the female. Sure enough, she had a young sidekick with her. He wore a red and white jumpsuit, and green fur covered his body. According to Handel's research, this one was called Beast Boy. He had shape-shifting abilities, but he was also quite young. Handel smiled and slipped down the side of the building, waiting for the sidekick to stray away from the crowd, as young ones so often do. He crouched behind a dumpster across the street from the crime scene and watched. Sure enough, a few minutes later the sidekick said something to the Martian, who was talking to a police officer. She nodded, and the boy wandered away from the rest of the people, scanning the ground.

_Probably looking for more clues to the crime scene, _Handel thought, _clever boy…_

He waited until the child had walked almost to the dumpster where the spy was hiding, then snuck out and grabbed him. The sidekick immediately started fighting, but was quickly silenced with a syringe stabbed into his side and a pistol slammed across the back of his head. The boy went limp and Handel dropped him, fleeing to the shadows. He tapped his communicator as he ran.

"The tracker is planted. I remained unseen."

"_Good. Back to base, agent," _The tinny voice replied. Handel signed off and jumped into a black car parked a little ways away, feeling pleased with himself. Soon, they would have all the information they needed on the group called Young Justice. And maybe even a few little sidekicks for a bonus.

**A/N: Please note that this is my first official venture into the wonderful fandom of Young Justice, so please don't hurt me if something goes terribly wrong! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it :)**

**P.S. It's early, but I would be eternally grateful if anyone wants to beta this story. Just PM me if you're interested!**

**~Val**


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